Resistance device.



H. G. THOMPSON.

RESISTANCE DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED 110 7.12, 1909.

Patented Feb. 18, 1913.

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APPLICATION IILED NOV. 12, 1909. I

Patented Feb. 18, 1913.

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WITNESSES: INVENTOR 4 (DA/TM Mow 99W y i W UNITED STATES PATENT onrion.

HARRISON THOMPSON, OF GLEN RIDGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO SAFETY CABHEATING & LIGHTING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

RESISTANCE DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18, 1913.

Application filed November 12, 1909. Serial No. 527,590.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, HARRISON'G. THOMP- sox, acitiz'en of the UnitedStates, residing in Glen Ridge, county of Essex, and State of NewJersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in ResistanceDevices,of whichithe following is a description.

Myinvention pertains to that class of apparatus used in the electricalart and known rality of resistances, or individual units,

' which may be adjusted to perform certain specification a devicedesigne functions and a certain meansfor adjustably connecting up thesame in such manner that portions thereof may be cut out, as desired, aswill hereinafter more plainly appear; third, to rovide a resistance,device made up of in ividual units so arranged that any one or all ofthem may be quickly reached for adjustment, said adjustment wheneifected being permanently secured from inclement weather under allconditions of usage.

My invention also c0 prehends'" certain improvements in the way f designand. construction of resistances considered broadly which make the sameparticularly applicable for resistances to be used in the art of trainlighting and for the pur ose of this and employed by me for this use andembodying the elements of my invention will be described. v

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved resistance device and aninclosing frame or box which I have found useful for support ing andcarrying the same. Fig. 2 is an enlarged and elevational view, partly insection, of the resistance device shown in Fig. 1.

In the drawing 1 represents a frame or box adapted to be held inposition as below the body of a car by attaching thereto the lugs 2 bymeans of bolts or other suitable devices. This frame is provided on eachside with covers, a portion of one of which is indicated at 3 which maybe attached to the frame by means of bosses 4 carried thereby, to whichare pivotally attached eye bolts'5, as by means of hinge pins6. The saideye bolts pass through lugs 7 i of the cover 3 and carry upon thethreaded portion thereof suitable hand nuts 8, thus providing meanswhereby the cover 3 may be hinged to swing upward or downward asdesired.

9 represents any suitable type of base or back-plate madepreferably ofan insulating material upon which the various parts of my resistancedevice are mounted, the said base being attached to the frame or box 1as by means'of screws 10. l

11 represents a metallic frame attached to the base 9 and carrying rods12 upon bosses or extensions 13, 13. ,14 indicates similar bosses orextensions carrying rods 15 which pass through the centers of insulatingcylinders or cores 16 which may be in the form'of one cylinder extendingacross the device or preferably mounted in pairs of equal length placedendto end against each other as indicated at 17. The said cylinders arerecessed at each end intowhich recesses are fitted metallic rings 18 and19. Upon the. cylinders are wound resistance spirals of wire 20, each siral having its ends attached to the metal ic rings 18 and 19respectively. These rings are preferably split rings provided withbosses on either side of the split as indicated by 21 and drawn togetheras by screws 22 in such manner as to readily grip the cylinders 16 andalso hold, the end of the wires 20 as' shown at 39. From the rings 19 Ilead out the conductors 23 to suitable binding posts 24 24, etc., foreach'unit of resistance, which are connected electrically, a indicatedin dotted lines, with a plurality of binding posts as shown on theextreme right of Fig. 1; for example as shown at post 25 in reference tothe unit A shown in the upper righthand side of said figure.

26 is a common binding post permanently connected electrically with theframe 11 and all of the rods 12, thus connection with the rod 12 and anyportion of the resistance 20 of unit A will complete the circuit betweenv posts 26 and and include thatportion of the resistance 20 between thesaid connection with the rod 12 and the ring 18. Connections betweenrods 12 and resistances 20 are made as by means of split rings 27provided with bosses 28 adapted to be drawn together as by screws 29 insuch manner as to firmly grip the spirals of wire 20 and the rods 12,thus securing an adjustable and permanent arrangement. in order toestablish an intermediate connection whereby that portion of theresistance indicated in circuit may be reduced at desired times to acertain predetermined amount'or a portion thereof shunted out by makingproper external connections, I provide a split ring 30 for each unit, asshown, having bosses 31 adapted to be drawn together as by screws 82 insuch manner as to firmly grip the resistance 20 at a desired pointbetween the rings 18 and 27. The screws 32 also serve to connect withthe rings 30 the flexible connectors 33 which are led to the extensionposts 3st and attached thereto as by means of screws 35, the saidextension posts being connected electrically with certaln of the bindingposts as by wires indicated in dotted lines,.for example, the fiem bleconnector 83 in connection with the ring 30 of unit A. being-led to thebinding post. 36, as shown by the dotted line. All of the rings 27 areslidably connected with the rods 12 and thus in electrical communicationwith the frame 11 and binding post- 26.- The rings 18 in connection withthe live ends of the various units B, C, D, E and it are connected withthe binding posts 25 25 25 25 and 25 respectively, as indicated bydotted lines, and the rings 30 upon the various units B, C, D, E and Fare connected with the binding posts 36 36 36 36 and 36 respectively, asindicated by the dotted lines, and thus any of the units may beconnected in circuit as described above with reference to unit A, forexample.

37 represents an extension cap to provide room for the leading in wireswhich pass through the opening in the boss 38 to the various bindingposts 25, 26 and 36.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that I have produced a resistancedevice of rugged construction permitting of the various adjustments setforth in this specification and that I have provided'means whereby whenthe proper adjustment is determined, the resistance may' be setpermanently in such manner as to withstand more or less rough usagewithout alteration.

I do not wish in any way to limit myself to the exact details ofconstruction or design as shown in the, accompanying drawings which areused to merely illustrate one vform of apparatus embodying my inventionin which many changes may be made without departing from the'spirit ofthe said invention.

Having thus described my invention that which I consider novel anddesire to protect by Letters. Patent is as set forth in the fol:

lowing claims:

1. A resistance device comprehending a resistance unit, means for makingpermanent electrical connection with said unit, an adjustable connectionwith said unit for completing a circuit therethrough, another adjustableconnection provided with means for attaching it to the said unit at apoint intermediate the above connections, and

ameans for permanently connecting the same plurality of resistanceunits, means for supporting the same, means for establishing electricalconnection with the various members, adjustable means for establishingconnectionbetween a single conductor and the plurality of resistanceunits in such manner 'as to include a portion of each thereof incircuit, and means for permanently gripping "the adjustment so as tohold the same constant.

4. A resistance device comprehending a plurality of resistance units,means for connecting the same in multiple to a single circuit andadjustable meansfor connecting the same in common with the variouscircuits.

5. A resistance device comprehending a plurality of resistances; incombination with a common conductor and multiple connectionswith all ofsaid resistances; together with adjustable means for-connecting saidresistances in shunt relation with various circuits.

6. A resistance device comprehending a spiral of wire having oneendpermanently connected to a bindin post; in combination with a movablemember s'lidably connected to another binding post and provided with aclamping member for clamping it around said spiral.

7. A resistance device comprehending a core of insulating material, aresistance unit I wound thereon, means for connectmg one beingpermanently oonnect'ed'at one end to a binding post.

8. A resistance device comprehending in its structure a conductingsupporting frame,

a rod carried thereby, a resistance unit carrled by sa1d frame, meansfor connectlng the resistance and said rod in an electrical circuit andmeans for establishing connection between the resistance androd in suchmanner as to include a portion of the resistance in circuit; togetherwith an adjustable circuit connection for shunting out a portion of saidresistance, said adjustable circuit connections being permanentlyconnected at one end to a binding post.

9. A resistance device comprehending in its structure a conductingsupporting frame,

, a rod carried thereby, a resistance unit carried by said frame, meansfor connecting the resistance and the said rod. in an'electnicalcircult, means for e'stabhshlng between the resistance and rod 1nsuch-manner as to include a portion of the resistancen circuit and meansfor establlshing conconnection nectionwith the said resistancebetweenthe above mentioned connection.

10. A resistance device comprehending in its structure an insulatingbase, a conducting frame carried thereby, resistance unlts carried'bysaid frame, means whereby adjustable connection may be establishedbetween said units and the said frame and means whereby "adjustableconnection may be established with the said resistance units independentof said frame.

' 11. A resistance device comprehending an insulating base, a unit ofhigh resistance carried upon the same, a frame for carrying the saidunit insulated therefrom, means adapted to be rigidly clamped upon thesaid resistance unit'andupon a portion of said

